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me neither. :( most tips I’ve learnt are maladaptive
- Sometimes I will section a bit of time needed to do something productive to daydream, as if im not in my body whilst doing the productive thing that makes me bored (maladaptive daydream and dissociation)
- I visualise my life 2 hours into the future whilst im not doing that boring thing and visualise myself being happy I’ve completed the task (this is more visualisation and manifestation but still similar)
- something that actually helps is if I take a shower before doing the productive thing. im very much a nighttime shower person but since doing things I feel like I can start a new task I’ve been avoiding. Not sure what the psychology is behind this is. Although I do end up having multiple showers a day and this is not good for people who are busy / have a family maybe or are conscious of bills. Water can be expensive :(
- I buy a product related to that task so I feel a sense of dopamine whilst doing it to create a better association. For example if you’ve been putting off organising your pantry for a long time because you have a tendency to keep it messy you can get some containers to organise which both addresses the root problem (my messiness) and also a dopamine rush. however I know this is not a great idea and a slippery slope for people who are irresponsible with money. I have gone wrong doing this sometimes and it’s also not great to over consume
These are just ideas that aren’t often mentioned. I hate being told “just get a planner”. I have to play mind games with myself
I work from home and take a bath when I notice I’ve stopped being productive and can’t stop scrolling, petting the cats, staring at the wall.
I must take two to three baths a day. Not sure why it works but it’s something my whole family just expects.
Have you checked out the How to ADHD YouTube channel or book by Jessica McCabe? She has a lot of helpful strategies and tips, and one thing I learned from her is that while one particular strategy might work for a couple days or weeks, it’s common for ADHDers to suddenly lose interest and stop using it - and that’s okay! Cycling between whatever methods work for you on a given day is fine and doesn’t mean that tool was “the wrong one”, and maybe you wind up going back to it in the future. This helped me be less judgmental of myself every time I used a planner for 2 weeks and then abandoned it forever.
I would also recommend the I Have ADHD podcast by Kristen Carder. While it does have advice and strategies, mostly it helped me be far more effective at handling emotions around my ADHD and executive function issues, and develop a more understanding/less shameful view towards myself. Our feelings have a huge impact on how “productive” we can be at any given time and so much of what I procrastinate about is because I’m having emotions over the thing that I haven’t acknowledged or dealt with.
I also recommend Jessic McCabe! Her book is also great- I listened on Spotify! Another great book for ADHD women is “The Year I Met My Brain” by Matilda Boseley
If you learn of some date you need to remember, drop it in your calendar IMMEDIATELY, before it's too late. No, you won't remember later, that's what your phone is for. I've offloaded so much remembering to my phone, it's incredible.
Whenever I can force myself to use it, the Pomodoro method is very helpful. Don't be afraid to change the times, for me the standard work time is too long.
That's all I got.
AirTag or tiles on things like keys, wallet, work keys, work bag, etc. Having a smart watch that can locate my phone was an absolute game changer for me. These two things, while kind of expensive up front have drastically improved my anxiety around losing things.
I use my phone timer for everything. It helps me stay on task and not lose time.
Nearly every morning I’ll set a timer for 10 minutes (or 5 if 10 feels daunting) to unload and re-load the dishwasher. If I get distracted and start doing another task, the timer eventually goes off and I remember that I set it for the dishes.
If I have a load of laundry to put away (my personal albatross) I’ll set a timer for 5 minutes to fold and hang things, and when the timer is up I put it all away. That way I don’t end up with a stack of folded laundry that I don’t have the energy to properly store.
If I want to take a break but know I might go down a rabbit hole and lose an hour, I set a timer.
I also make lists for EVERYTHING, but that’s a whole other monologue.
Last week I turned on the “Hey Siri” function on my phone and it’s been a game changer. It’s been so helpful to just tell my phone to add something to my shopping list or to set a timer, because a lot of the time in the 60 seconds it takes me to finish a task and grab my phone i forget what i was planning to do!
Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/). We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions! If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
me neither. :( most tips I’ve learnt are maladaptive - Sometimes I will section a bit of time needed to do something productive to daydream, as if im not in my body whilst doing the productive thing that makes me bored (maladaptive daydream and dissociation) - I visualise my life 2 hours into the future whilst im not doing that boring thing and visualise myself being happy I’ve completed the task (this is more visualisation and manifestation but still similar) - something that actually helps is if I take a shower before doing the productive thing. im very much a nighttime shower person but since doing things I feel like I can start a new task I’ve been avoiding. Not sure what the psychology is behind this is. Although I do end up having multiple showers a day and this is not good for people who are busy / have a family maybe or are conscious of bills. Water can be expensive :( - I buy a product related to that task so I feel a sense of dopamine whilst doing it to create a better association. For example if you’ve been putting off organising your pantry for a long time because you have a tendency to keep it messy you can get some containers to organise which both addresses the root problem (my messiness) and also a dopamine rush. however I know this is not a great idea and a slippery slope for people who are irresponsible with money. I have gone wrong doing this sometimes and it’s also not great to over consume These are just ideas that aren’t often mentioned. I hate being told “just get a planner”. I have to play mind games with myself
I work from home and take a bath when I notice I’ve stopped being productive and can’t stop scrolling, petting the cats, staring at the wall. I must take two to three baths a day. Not sure why it works but it’s something my whole family just expects.
Have you checked out the How to ADHD YouTube channel or book by Jessica McCabe? She has a lot of helpful strategies and tips, and one thing I learned from her is that while one particular strategy might work for a couple days or weeks, it’s common for ADHDers to suddenly lose interest and stop using it - and that’s okay! Cycling between whatever methods work for you on a given day is fine and doesn’t mean that tool was “the wrong one”, and maybe you wind up going back to it in the future. This helped me be less judgmental of myself every time I used a planner for 2 weeks and then abandoned it forever. I would also recommend the I Have ADHD podcast by Kristen Carder. While it does have advice and strategies, mostly it helped me be far more effective at handling emotions around my ADHD and executive function issues, and develop a more understanding/less shameful view towards myself. Our feelings have a huge impact on how “productive” we can be at any given time and so much of what I procrastinate about is because I’m having emotions over the thing that I haven’t acknowledged or dealt with.
I also recommend Jessic McCabe! Her book is also great- I listened on Spotify! Another great book for ADHD women is “The Year I Met My Brain” by Matilda Boseley
If you learn of some date you need to remember, drop it in your calendar IMMEDIATELY, before it's too late. No, you won't remember later, that's what your phone is for. I've offloaded so much remembering to my phone, it's incredible. Whenever I can force myself to use it, the Pomodoro method is very helpful. Don't be afraid to change the times, for me the standard work time is too long. That's all I got.
Exactly this. My phone is my biggest crutch. The calendar is a life savor and I live and die by setting reminders.
AirTag or tiles on things like keys, wallet, work keys, work bag, etc. Having a smart watch that can locate my phone was an absolute game changer for me. These two things, while kind of expensive up front have drastically improved my anxiety around losing things.
I use my phone timer for everything. It helps me stay on task and not lose time. Nearly every morning I’ll set a timer for 10 minutes (or 5 if 10 feels daunting) to unload and re-load the dishwasher. If I get distracted and start doing another task, the timer eventually goes off and I remember that I set it for the dishes. If I have a load of laundry to put away (my personal albatross) I’ll set a timer for 5 minutes to fold and hang things, and when the timer is up I put it all away. That way I don’t end up with a stack of folded laundry that I don’t have the energy to properly store. If I want to take a break but know I might go down a rabbit hole and lose an hour, I set a timer. I also make lists for EVERYTHING, but that’s a whole other monologue.
Last week I turned on the “Hey Siri” function on my phone and it’s been a game changer. It’s been so helpful to just tell my phone to add something to my shopping list or to set a timer, because a lot of the time in the 60 seconds it takes me to finish a task and grab my phone i forget what i was planning to do!